Magnolias in the Snow
by OldLadyKaede
Summary: When American exchange student Emma Jones comes to Japan to stay with a new family, the Higurashis, she receives a little more than she bargained for in the adventure department. Who is this Inuyasha the family keeps talking about? And why does their daughter Kagome seem like she has a secret? Refurbish of an old fic- hope you enjoy!
1. Welcome to Tokyo

Author Notes:

Thank you so much for reading my story! _Magnolias in the Snow_ is a story I started working on in high school and never finished. I recently found it and after a rewatch of the series, was inspired to overhaul some not-so-great writing and fix a lot of plot holes and mistakes that I noticed. And, not to mention, get rid of a terribly Mary Sue OC.

Emma is a semi self insert, in which I wrote her as an American Southerner, but otherwise we couldn't be more different.

I love reviews, they're incredibly encouraging, so if you like the story, please tell me!

And, of course, I do not own Inuyasha and his friends.

—-

So this was Japan.

A round, tanned face looked around the terminal, her bright green eyes shining. Emma had waited a long time, going through all types of tests, trials, and 2 years worth of language classes. As she gazed out the airport and at the sweeping view of Tokyo, she decided it was worth it.

Brushing her silky auburn hair out of her face, she looked at the photo of her host family. It was a nice family picture, with a kind-looking mother in a flower-print dress, a wacky grandfather in old-fashioned Japanese clothing, a cute 10-year old boy in a t-shirt and jeans, and a girl about her age in a clean-cut school uniform. She turned the picture around, looking at the name on the back. Giving herself a mental note on the name, she walked through the crowded building to the baggage claim.

As she looked around the shining silver carousels surrounded by people, she finally saw a friendly looking family similar to the picture holding a sign. _Here we go._

She swallowed hard, braced her shaky courage, habitually pushed her hair behind her ear again, and then jogged towards the family, her knit carry-on bouncing behind her. When she approached them, she bowed stiffly but politely to the mother and grandfather, addressing them with a simple, "Hajimemashite, Higurashi-sama".

There was an awkward silence, but Mrs. Higurashi grinned empathetically and shook Emma's hand. Her hands were soft and warm, and the sentiment echoed in her voice. "It's nice to have you, Miss Jones," she gushed. "Meet my father, whom you may call Grandfather, my son, Souta, and my daughter, Kagome. I believe she is your age?"

Kagome chuckled at the American's baffled look and explained, "Here in Japan, it is necessary to know fluent English as it is used in our schools and for business." She reached for Emma's hand and shook it enthusiastically. "It's nice to meet you."

Emma thought that Kagome looked oddly mature for a fifteen-year-old. There was something in the way she held herself, some tinge the girl's dark eyes that said that she had been through the wringer emotionally. She caught herself gazing into them for a moment when she realized that she had never replied to the niceties extended.

"Oh, thank goodness," she confessed, her ears burning, "I'd like to speak Japanese full-time, but I know I'm still learning."

Kagome beamed and hooked her arm in Emma's, her brown eyes sparkling in excitement. "I'm sure you'll learn quickly," she enthused, her long strides quickening to match the exchange student's short ones. "Aren't you excited for school tomorrow? Everyone is thrilled to meet you!"

Emma was about to answer, flustered, when all of the sudden there was a large CLUNK behind her.

As she turned around, she tried to stifle a laugh when she saw poor Souta struggling under the weight of her overstuffed duffel bag. She strode over quickly to help the poor kid, picked up the bag and easily placed it on her shoulder. Then, chuckling all the while, she offered him a hand.

When the young boy saw Emma lift the bag, his eyes went wide and he smiled. "Wow, you're strong!" he marveled. "Almost as strong as Inuyasha!"

She smiled quizzically and helped Souta up from the tile, dusting him off for good measure. With an amused chuckle, she slapped his shoulder gently and said, "Well, one day you'll be just as strong as me, Souta, if not stronger."

 _Inuyasha, huh. Dog…whatever. Weird name._

She looked to Kagome for clarification, but found only a deep pink blush decorating the girl's cheeks.

 _Guess it's a boyfriend or something._

Mrs. Higurashi laughed quietly and affectionately ruffled her son's hair. "C'mon, macho," she teased. "Let's get going."

Emma shifted the bag on her shoulder and smiled, her heart feeling like it would fly out her chest. Between sweet Mrs. Higurashi, silly Souta, and the promise of a close friend, she had a feeling she was going to love Tokyo.

—-

 _The gentle scent of tobacco and gasoline mingled in the old Ford, but Emma didn't care. Her feet swung from the worn leather bench, still yet too short to touch the floor. The silver heart necklace she'd worn since birth bounced against her chest as the drove down the bumpy wooded backroads of Carriere, Mississippi._

 _Her small hand grasped a fistful of slightly wilted yellow wildflowers that she and her dad had picked in a field on the side of the road. She had cut that same hand on a piece of barbed wire while picking the flowers, but it was now gone, a faint white scar in its place._

 _Dad was in the driver's seat, his arm hanging lazily out of the window. He was just like she remembered him best- a long, tan face and dark brown eyes with little wrinkles around them from squinting into the sun. He wore a worn out baseball cap with what used to be a yellow tiger on the front, but was now dirty and torn beyond recognition. She had never seen him without that hat, even near the end._

" _What'll you tell 'er today, cherie?" he drawled in his soft Cajun accent. "Maybe 'bout bein' a snowman in the Christmas play?"_

 _She giggled. "Daddy, I ain't never seen snow. How'm I gonna know how to be a proper snowman?"_

 _A smile danced around his lips. "You'll find a way."_

 _The Ford pulled into a modest graveyard surrounded by an ancient wrought iron fence, and they quietly exited the truck. He grabbed her free hand, the rough callouses scraping gently against her small, soft fingers._

 _They trudged silently along the path surrounded by gravestones, listening to the birds overhead. He pointed to a bright red bird perched on top of a dirty granite mausoleum. "Cher, what's that bird?"_

" _A cardinal!" she squeaked excitedly, waving the wilted flowers._

" _Very good. What about that one?" He pointed to a gray and black bird with a long tail._

" _That's a mockin'bird."_

 _They continued on with this game until they reached what they were looking for, a small marble headstone surrounded by dead flowers, trinkets, and rain-stained Mardi Gras stuffed animal offerings._

 _Bonita Jones, wife and mother._

 _Emma reverently placed her flowers by the others before settling cross-legged on the worn patch in front of it._

" _Hi, Mama," she mumbled, fumbling for the words._

" _Speak up, cher," her dad reminded her gently, standing a few feet back. There was a strange wetness in his eyes that threatened to fall. "It's a long way to heaven."_

—

 _BEEEP. BEEEP. BEEEP. BEEEP. BEEEP._

Emma awoke, startled, and blinked hard, her vision blurry.

 _Daddy? Mama?_

Someone was speaking Japanese in her ear; techno pop was swimming around in her head.

 _What am I doing here? Where am I?_

Emma blinked again, her vision and her mind becoming clearer at each moment, taking her farther and farther away from the graveyard.

 _I'_ _m in Tokyo. I_ _'_ _m in Japan_ _…_

She laid on her futon for a few more luscious moments, soaking in just that fact. She strained her ears hoping to hear the bustle of the city outside, but heard only the leaves rustling in the large tree that lived on temple grounds.

The dream faded from her mind slowly and she let it slip away, relishing the blurry face of her father as long as she could. Instinctively, she reached for her silver necklace and held it tightly until it felt warm in her hand.

 _I'll make you proud,_ she swore. _Mom, too._

Finally the could wait no longer, excitement tingling in her fingers and toes. She jumped out of the covers and hit the alarm. She wrinkled her nose in the mirror and stared for a moment. Her hair was wild and there were slight purple marks under her eyes from jet lag, but it would have to do. She brushed out her hair as best as she could and swiped on some lip balm, hoping for the best.

Her uniform had been folded placed neatly on the edge of her bed, laid out with her sneakers at the base of it, a gentle sign of Mrs. Higurashi's hospitality. Emma smiled warmly as she picked up the clean, crisp white shirt and carefully slid it over her head. She then zipped up the short green skirt, thankful for the bike shorts she had thought to bring from home.

She turned to the mirror once again and looked herself over, unnecessarily smoothing out everything self-consciously. _I guess this is as good as it's going to get._

In the hallway, she met Kagome, who gave her a mischievous grin and a quick look over.

Slightly alarmed, Emma addressed her in mediocre Japanese. "How do I look?"

"You look great!" she gushed. Excitedly, she took her friend by the wrists and gave her a little twirl. "Wait until the boys at school see you! They'll be all over you, with that hair of yours."

Emma self-consciously patted her hair that she had unsuccessfully tried to tame this morning. "You really think so?"

"I know so!"

Slightly reassured, she followed Kagome through the narrow hallway and into the kitchen, where a wonderful aroma met her nose. Just that smell alone could wake her up. Sufficiently perked up and beaming, she walked over to the table and sat down on the floor next to Souta.

"Morning, Mrs. Higurashi!" she chirped.

"Good morning, dear," she said, dishing out a simple bowl of rice with egg. "I see that you found the uniform I pressed for you this morning!"

"Yes, ma'am! You didn't have to do that, I really appreciate it."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled kindly, serving a bowl to Kagome, who tucked in with an appetite. "Nonsense! You're in the family now. And, please, call me Mom, like Souta and Kagome do."

Honored and a bit flustered, she blushed as she picked up her chopsticks. "Yes, Mrs…, I mean, Mom."

After fumbling with the chopsticks a bit, she finally got the hang of it and the bowl of rice was quickly devoured. She drank a quick sip of water and stood up, brushing off her skirt. Nodding to Kagome, who was also finished, she nodded her head respectfully to Kagome's grandfather. Kagome did the same as they grabbed their backpacks and began to walk out of the door in a hurry.

"Wait, girls!" called Mrs. Higurashi. "You forgot your lunches!"

"Sorry, Mom!"

When they returned, Mrs. Higurashi kissed them both on the cheek and handed them their lunches. "Have a good first day, dear," she said encouragingly, "Ganbatte!"

As Emma walked out the door, Grandfather said something to the mother, thinking the girls were out of earshot.

"Hmph!" he harrumphed, "Kagome should be fighting with Inuyasha in the feudal era, not gallivanting off at that high school of hers!"

 _There's that Inuyasha dude again,_ she mused. _I'll have to ask Kagome about him._

As she stepped out into the busy streets of the city, she considered her new friend. _I wonder why he hasn't come around. Is she hiding something?"_

Kagome looked back when she noticed she was walking alone and saw her friend a few feet behind, absentmindedly standing on the sidewalk."C'mon, silly," she laughed, "Or we'll be late for school!"

Emma blushed and jogged a bit to catch up. "Sorry!" she apologized with an awkward chuckle. "Had a few things on my mind."

"Are you worried about today?"

"Yeah," she confessed, fidgeting with her necklace. "I've heard tell of how difficult Japanese schools can be, and with me speaking a new language…"

Kagome looped her arm in Emma's and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry," she advised. "I'll make sure everyone's nice to you, and I'm sure Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi wouldn't mind helping you out, too."

"Okay, if they don't mind…"

The schoolgirl glanced away from her friend's troubled face and waved as they approached a milling crowd of Japanese teenagers, all wanting to see the new American exchange student. She put a hand comfortingly on Emma's shoulder, guiding her through the crowd. "You'll be fine!" she said. "Look, everyone wants to meet you!"

Emma blushed as she was approached by enthusiastic girls admiring her hair, all talking to her in such rapid Japanese that she could barely understand them. Before she knew it, she was standing at the doors to the school, being pushed inwards by the hustle and bustle

 _I sure hope you_ _'_ _re right_ _…_


	2. Meeting Hojo and the Wolverine Complex

In school, Emma struggled through her classes. Did all Japanese teachers talk this fast, or did she think too slowly? Her mind exhausted, she slugged through chemistry lab, almost passed out in Calculus, and had a major headache by the time Japanese History came around.

 _Thank goodness!_ she grumbled inwardly. _We get a book to read from._

After she got the hang of the reading, she thoroughly enjoyed their lesson in history that day. It was on the Feudal Era in Japan, a time of handsome daimyos and beautiful priestesses, of belief in wicked demons and honorable ones, of monsters and magic. She was instantly entranced by the ruggedness of Old Japan. There was something, however, tugging at the back of her mind.

 _Grandpa said something about the feudal era this morning,_ she pondered. _Something to do with this Inuyasha dude I keep hearing about._

Her eyes glazed over the symbols as her mind clicked away.

98lp;o

 _Is he a boyfriend? A relative? Some sort of mentor or something?_

 _Whatever_ , she shrugged. _I'll ask her about him after class._

—-

Much to Emma's relief, the bell rang not too long after her little discovery. Relieved, she snapped the book shut and shoved it into her backpack. She needed a breath of air, and something for this headache. She made her way out of the door in the path of milling students was about to head out to the sidewalk when she remembered that Kagome was her walk home. Kagome was also nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, it was like she hit a brick wall. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the wall of the lobby, slid down from sheer exhaustion, and plopped onto the somehow impeccably clean linoleum floor.

As the chattering students walked by, only one seemed to be concerned about her health. A tall boy with short raven hair squatted down in front of her, and put a hand on her forehead.

She squealed in surprise at the unexpected touch, her eyes snapping open to find this stranger with his hand on her face. "Can I help you?"

He took a closer look at her face and made a face like he had figured out exactly where she was from. "Are you well, miss?" he asked in bad English. "You seem ill."

Emma, startled by the greeting in English, looked up quizzically at the kind boy. She blushed as she replied in equally bad Japanese, "Oh, I'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all."

The boy smiled, a wide, relieved grin plastered across his handsome face. "Welcome to Japan! My name is Hojo." He shook her hand and then offered it to her to help her to her feet. "I believe you are from…" He struggled with the pronunciation, "Mi-ss-i-ss-i-pp-i?"

Emma gave him an encouraging smile, and nodded. "That's right!"

Behind Hojo's head, she spotted Kagome in the faraway hall, standing with a group of three other girls their age. She waved to her roomie until they made eye contact and the group waved back. "I'm sorry, Hojo, I must be going," she said. "Kagome is waiting for me, and we have to fetch Souta from the grade school!"

Hojo lowered his head. It was now his turn to blush. "You're staying with the Higurashis?"

"That's right."

Still blushing, Hojo pulled some odd bundle of roots out of his book satchel. "Then would you give these to Kagome, please? They're the roots of the moily herb. If you brew them into tea, they'll cure that horrible whooping frog's cough of hers."

Then as quick as he had arrived, he handed the roots over, ran off to the busy streets, and disappeared around a corner.

A little confused about that entire interaction, Emma eyed the odd tubers with suspicion as she walked across the hall. When she reached the group, she politely said hello to each of the girls, tapped Kagome on the shoulder and unceremoniously dumped the roots into her arms.

When Kagome opened her mouth to ask, she waved it off. "They're supposedly the roots of the moily herb," she explained. "Something about a whooping frog's cough?"

This statement instantly created a commotion between Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka, and they surrounded both students, pelting them with questions.

"Oooh! Does Hojo like you, Emma?"

"Watch out Kagome, you've got competition!"

"No way, Hojo will always remain faithful to Kagome! Have you seen the guy?"

"I guess this will give you a little less pressure from Mr. Controlling, eh, Kagome?"

Kagome gave them a quick glare, which brought almost instant results of quiet. An eyebrow twitching, she dismissed the subject with a wave of her hand. "Ah, Hojo's nice to everybody. C'mon Emma, or Souta will never forgive us for being late!"

After seeing her friend trapped by a mob of curious Japanese students, she grabbed Emma by the wrist and dragged her out of the building and into the streets.

Emma rubbed her temples, the pressure and the noise finally getting to her. "How do you deal with all of this on a daily basis," she groaned. "Between the work and the language and, well, everything?"

But Kagome's mind was already elsewhere as she replied airily, "I don't really…"

"Excuse me?"

Her eyes went wide when she realized what had slipped out, and lowered sheepishly. "Oh you know," she sputtered, "We just have to speak it in English class and I've been sick so much lately that I'm not in school and stressed all the time…"

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You've been sick all the time?"

It was as if steam were coming out of the Japanese girl's ears as she continued to sputter, "Well you know, colds and the flu and the like, my immune system has just been letting me down lately, but you know," Kagome's ears and face continued to morph into a neon shade of pink.

"Don't worry," interrupted Emma with a chuckle. "You're allowed to be sick every now and then, I don't need to know why."

The schoolgirl visibly relaxed, the normal color returning to her formerly flushed face. "Thanks," she sighed.

—-

That night in her bedroom, as Emma poured over her textbooks in hopes that her slow reading would somehow get much better, Kagome's weird behavior kept nagging at the back of her mind.

 _Why would someone get so defensive about being sick? It's not like it's my business._

After a quick pause to scratch a visiting Buyo behind the ears, she returned to her history textbook. Her fingers brushed over the beautiful paintings printed on the page and she sighed.

 _Feudal Japan sounds like a nightmare,_ she concluded. _Between the warring states and all the civilian casualties, I'd have to imagine this would be a rough life._

Her fingers continued to browse the pages until suddenly, they halted on an impossibly familiar face. It was an old ink painting of a miko in a short red robe, with a bow and arrow aiming at an ugly and menacing green-faced demon.

 _That looks, creepily, a lot like Kagome._

And as if the universe could hear her thoughts, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

Kagome entered, dressed in a fluffy pink robe and delicately balancing two glass mugs of steaming hot tea. "Courtesy of Mom," she explained. "She thought you might want some tea while you study."

Emma's heart glowed a little at the thought. "Well, that was really nice of her."

Her friend smiled and set the mug next to the history textbook on the desk. "She really enjoys you being here," she said warmly. "I think she always wanted another daughter. Well, that would be if…"

Her head inclined and the smile disappeared slightly, "That would be if my dad hadn't passed. ten or so years ago. "

A tense silence fell in the room for a moment.

Kagome forced a smile and a laugh, waving her hand as if to dismiss the thought. "But that's enough of that," she fake chuckled.

She made her way to the bed and plopped down, settling before she took a long sip of her tea. "What's your family like, Em?" she asked innocently. "I bet they're really nice."

Emma cleared her throat from the sudden lump that appeared there, the dream from last night appearing in her mind almost like an echo. "They, um," she stammered. "My, um, dad passed away last year." Tears began to well in her eyes and she quickly turned away, busying herself with the business of having tea. "It was, uhm, lung cancer. We, uh, we caught it too late."

Kagome clapped her hand over her mouth in embarassment, setting her mug on a nearby side table. "Emma, I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

"It's okay," Emma mumbled. Feeling strangely vulnerable, she fidgeted with her auburn hair, pulling it up into a ponytail just to have something to do with her hands. "My mom died when I was really little, so Dad was kind of all I had."

"Who do you live with now?"

"Well, you," she joked after taking a sip of her tea. It was warm and comforting as it slipped into her stomach, giving her a strange sense of safety. "I was in foster care for a while since they couldn't find any of my next of kin, but when the exchange program came up I hopped on it as quickly as possible."

Kagome sighed and leaned back against the wall, cupping her mug in both hands. "Well," she finally said, "I guess that makes us family, huh?"

Emma swallowed hard and gave a wry smile. "Guess that would."

There was a less awkward silence as they both sipped their tea in contemplation.

Suddenly, Emma's eyes lit up. "Oh!" she exclaimed and turned back towards her book, setting her mug down. "Kagome, come look at this."

Kagome wandered over and looked down before becoming visibly tense.

Emma, however, continued babbling on, blissfully unaware. "I was studying the feudal area, you know, the warring states, and doesn't this drawing look just like you?"

"Yeah! Heh, that's funny," mumbled Kagome, once again with that far-off look in her eyes.

"I thought so too, and on the next page….goddamnit!"

The now mostly-empty mug of tea, bumped by her gesturing hand, fell to the floor and shattered with a loud CRASH.

"You guys okay up there?" called Mrs. Higurashi from downstairs.

"We're fine!" Kagome yelled back. "Just an accident!"

Emma was already on the floor gathering the large shards, apologizing profusely all the while. "I'm so sorry," she emphasized, "I'm not usually this clumsy, but I…OWCH. Goddamn it again…"

She pulled back her hand from the carpet, where a large hidden piece of glass had embedded itself in her palm. "Shit," she cursed. She carefully extracted the glass from the wound and threw it in the trash can. Quickly, cupping the blood pouring into her hand, she gestured to Kagome with the other hand. "Hey! Do you have a paper towel or something?"

"A paper towel?" exclaimed Kagome. "A cut that big is going to need stitches, we need to get to the hospital." Thinking quickly, she pulled a couple tissues out of the box on the bedstead and handed them over.

Emma pressed the tissues to the cut and watched a bright red stain spread across them. "Nah," she insisted, occasionally lifting the tissues to check out the cut underneath. "It hurts, yeah, but it'll be healed in an hour or two, no sweat." She checked the cut again, her eyes narrowing as she peered into it. "Probably wouldn't hurt to have some Neosporin on this sucker, though."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! See?" She said cheerfully, lifting the bloody tissues away. "It's already getting better like normal."

Kagome cautiously looked over at Emma's palm, and, lo and behold, the cut had already stopped bleeding.

"My dad says I'm like Wolverine," the American joked, oblivious to the incredulous stare of her friend. "Must be some good genes from my mom."

"No kidding."

Emma finished gathering the shards, which were all luckily larger, and tossed the remains of the mug neatly in her desk trash bin. She turned back to her history book and was once again faced with the painting of the familiar-looking miko and the demon. Her memory suddenly tweaked, she swung around to face Kagome, am inquisitive finger quivering in the air.

"Oh! For some reason all this excitement reminds me," she ventured. "Who's Inuyasha?"


End file.
